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Classics — whether they are novels, plays, or epics — offer us great characters, interesting plots, and lots of things for discussion … but sometimes they can be a little tough to tackle. Sometimes we adore them, but sometimes we can’t get past page 3, let alone the requisite 50. That doesn’t mean that we should give up what they have to offer, though, does it? Many of today’s authors try to use these classic works as a starting-off point to write a more modern version. If done well, these contemporary versions can have a huge impact and impart the same wisdom that made the earlier story gain its classic status. Jessica Pryde and I decided to find and examine some great pairs of classics and their contemporary rewrites to see if they are successful … or maybe not.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

When young orphan Mary Lennox arrives at her uncle’s English manor, the spoiled girl, used to a pampered life in India, immediately decides that she will simply not enjoy her new life. Readers soon find their sympathies aroused as the somewhat neglected girl forlornly explores the estate alone day after day. It is not until she locates the secret door to a long-forgotten garden and embarks upon a covert journey to its restoration that Mary finds purpose in her new existence. Assisted by a young friend, Dickon, a friendly robin, and a gardner who excels at keeping secrets, Mary breathes new life into the garden. When she discovers Colin, a sickly, hidden cousin, it is Mary and the revitalised garden that help him recouperate. It is Mary who finally not only strengthens the secret garden, but also her family’s deepest relationships, finding a new forever home.